Locker and means for locking and releasing the same



E. B. PALMER LOCKER AND MEANS FOR LOCKING AND RELEASING THE SAM Filed May 13 1922 l'slD'W'AZRD B. PALMEQOF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.,

LOCKEB MEANS FOR LOCKING AND RELEASING TEE SAME Application filed May 13, 1922. Serial No. 560,685.

To all whom 'it may concem:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B, PALMER, of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, asubject of the p King of Great Britain, have invented cersystem to be utilized in conjunction therewith in carrying out my invention;

Figure 2 1s a front elevation of a group or section of lockers, constructed according to my invention;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3--3 Figure 2;`

Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the locks; v

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-5 Figure 4f;

Figure 6 is a detail view of the master switch for releasing a plurality of lockers; and

Figure 7 is a detail fragmentary sectional view illustrating the means for automatically opening the doors when released.

Heretofore in schools, factories, departmental stores and other large institutions providing lockers for the scholars or employees, great diiculty has been experienced in preventing access of unauthorized persons to the lockers particularly during class or business hours, with the result that the personal effects of the scholars or employees have been stolen or damaged.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this evil by providing lockers which will be locked during class or business hours and which cannot be unlocked without the sanction of the teacher or head of the department in which they are located. The releasing means being preferably accessible only to such teacher or department head.

A further ob'ect is to provide means which will ena-b e the locks of a plurality of lockers or of groups of lockers to be electrically released individually or collectively.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodlment of r-my invention which consists of a plurality of particularly constructed groups of lockers, each locker having a door opening and a door for closing said opening; means for locking the door in closed position and an electrical system including means whereby the lockers of one group ma be released independently of those o the other groups and means whereby the locks of all the groups ma be released simultaneously.

Lach group or section of lockers consists of a metal casing of box form the dimensions of which may be varied tomeet requirements.V This casing comprises a rear wall 2, end walls 3 and 4:, top 5, bottom 6 and a front constituted by a plurality of fixed panels 9 extending from the top to the bottom of the casing and permitting access to the lockers. These door openings are adapted to be simultaneously closed or opened by a door unit consisting of a plurality of door panels 12 of corresponding dimensions to the fixed panels and united at -their top and bottom edges as at 13. This door unit is slida'bly mounted in position within the casing immediately in the rear of the fixed panels and is provided with ball bearings 7 which are adapted to run upon tracks 14 at its top and bottom edges, the spacing of the doors corresponding to the spacing of the fixed panels so that when the unit is moved to open position, simultaneousl opening all of the door openin s, each oor will be located behind its adJacent fixed panel and consequently will be concealed from view and will occupy minimum space.

The means for locking each door unit in position closing the door openings consists of `a gravity latch 20 mounted upon the door panel nearest the end wall 4 and adapted to coact with an electrically controlled lock 21 mounted upon the inner side of such wall.

This lock comprises a case 22 containing a spring actuated locking member 23 hinged as at 211 in the case and adapted to 'engage the latch, a pair of detent members 25 and 26 hinged upon the case at opposite ends of the locking member and each having a notch 27 adapted to receive a stud 28 on the adjacent portion of the locking member for the purpose of retaining the latter in locking position; a pair of magnetic coils vtion in which it will be accessible on vmanner that when `the master circuit 35 and a ilat metal bar 29 hinged upon the case in position within the magnetic ield of the coils and adapted to normally assume a position in rear of the detent members, upward movement of the bar being limited by a stud 30 and downward movement being resisted by a dat spring 31.

In the operation of thisplock when the coils are energized the bar 29 is attracted thereto and consequentl'V moved to position clear of the detent mem ers and permitting the latter andthe locking member 23 to be swung to position releasing the latch.

The electrical system for energizing the coils of the locks individually and collectively consists of a plurality of circuits arranged in parallelism and of a number equal to the number of groups or sections of lockers employed and each including a` push button switch and the coils of one ofthe locks, and a master circuit including a push button switch and the coils of all the locks.

ln the diagram illustrated in Figure 1 in which three groups ofloc ers are illustrated a source of energy is indicated at 50 and two main leads 51 and 52 con'- nected thereto and common to all the individual lock circuits. The latter lock circuits formingl shunts of the main leads are indicated at 53, 54, and and each includes a pair of normally open spring contacts 56 and 57 adapted to be closed by a push button 58 preferably located in a osito the teacher of the class-room or head ot the department to which the locker group has been allotted. Such circuit also includes the coils 60 of the lock of such group, so that by pressure on the push button the contacts are moved into relative engagement and the circuitJ closed energizing the coils and rev leasing the lock.

The master circuit includes a pluralit of fixed contacts indicated at 61, 62, 63 an 64 respectively, the first mentioned contact being connected to the mainlead 51 and the remainder connected tothe main lead 52 through the medium of the individual lines 65, 66 and 67 connected to the respective lock circuit lines 68, 69 and 70 insuch a 1s closed the current will How through lead 51 and be distributed by the contacts through the coils of the locks and returned through lead 52.

ln order to close the master circuit, which of course is normally open, a circular contact 8O is located in position to simultaneously engage the contacts 61, 62, 63 amd64. This contact is preferably of annular 'form and is operated by a push button 81 forming an integral part of a disc 82 of insulation mounted centrally of the contact and provided at its inner side with spring seats 83 in alignment with similar seats 84, the whole being contained within a housing 85. Heliattenere cal springs 86 bearbetween the spring seats and normally maintain the Contact 30 out of engagement with the lined contact.

F rom the foregoing description it will be seen that any number of groups of locks may be he employed which may be released individually or collectively, the push button switches being located at any desired point.

ln order to, provide means for automatically producing' a slight opening movement of each door unit for the purpose of moving the latch 2O clear of the lock 21 when the latter has been releasedand to clearly indicate that the door unit is unlocked a s ring 90 is provided which is adapte to be placed under tension when the door unit is closed so that when the lock is released such tension automatically pulls theunit to open position. The tension under which the spring is laced when the unit is closed may be varied to secure the desired extent of opening movement. The mounting of the spring is preferably carried out by flexibly securing one end tothe top of the locker casing by means of a chain for instance as at 91 and connecting the opposite end to an adjacent portion of the door unit as at 92.

What I claim is as follows 1. The combination with a plurality of groups of metal receptacles of the class described each receptacle having a door open- 1ng and a door for closing said opening; of independent mechanisms for locking the doors of the groups in closed position and an electrical means for releasing the lockin mechanism of one group independently o the other roups; means for simultaneously releasing t e locking mechanisms of all the groups.

2'. The combination with a lurality of metal receptacles each having a dbor o ening and a door for closing said opening o means for locking each door in closed osition and electrical means for releasing t e locks individually, said means consisting of a plurality of circuits arranged in parallelism and each circuit includin a switch and a magnetic lock releasing evice, and means for releasing the locks collectivelyand simultaneously consisting of a master circuit including a switch and a magnetic releasing device for each lock.

3. The combination with a plurality of lockers each having a door opening and a door for closing said opening; of means for locking each door in closed position and electrical means for releasing the locks individually said means consisting of a plurality of circuits arranged in arallelism and each circuit including a pus -button switch and a magnetic lock releasing device, means for releasing the locks collectively consisting of a master circuit includin a push button switch and a magnetic re easing device for each lock, said last-mentioned push-button Mmm@ switch oonsisting of a, plurality of xed cfmtaots, a movable Contact of circular form adapted to simultaneously ngage said xod contacts, springs for normally mainaning said movable Contact out of engagement with #sho xod contacts, and a push-button mounted oentraly upon said movable oomtoot.

In testimony whereof have signed my nome to this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD B. PALMER.

Witnessesz GORDON G; COOKE, HARRIETTE MCDONALD. 

